The aesthetically pleasing design, full fixture kit for any speaker (including B&W 800 and Nautilus adapters – optional) and the fact that they stabilise the speakers to the floor so much better than anything else I’ve tried, gives complete peace of mind, especially for the domestic family room, where other anomalies cannot be treated and the speakers are also protected from little fellas who bump into them with their fire engines, they simply flex rather than fall on the micro Firefighters. The driving force is Dave Morrison, closely involved in planning and building radio and television studios at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation for close to 20 years. The process shown in the video is fine to do by yourself for a three to four foot speaker. What what on earth was I going to do with two sets of speakers that are taller and weigh more than some individuals! And remember the SVTR are two independent modules bolted together with a steel plate! Proving there’s life beyond the old faithful floor spikes, the cylindrical GAIA ‘pods’ connect into the base of your speaker, isolating the cabinet from vibration while resisting any tendency for it to move. Typically, they have the effect of lowering the noise floor, improving soundstage focus and tightening up the bass.

The GAIA III feet installed on my Dynaudios using the supplied spanner with the logos facing forward (to the left of the shot). Their directionality results from the shape of the elongated isolators and connector The difference were immediately audible, the sound stage was more focused, and the bass was tighter, and the micro dynamics were cleaner with everything have more snap. The D7.2s are floorstanders, so the Gaia III simply replace the supplied spikes in the four corners of each loudspeaker’s base. The Classic 1/2s are large standmounts, so the Gaia III replace the spikes on the bottom of the stands. ISOAcoustics say this shouldn’t work as well given that the isolation feet are further from the loudspeaker being isolated. Thankfully, no one told the Classic 1/2. When I turned on listening material I knew extremely well for the first time, I was literally stunned.

Linn arrives at Audio Venue

And so, let me tell you about this part of my audio quest and like any quest, this one became profoundly personal in nature. A brief history of IsoAcoustics To demonstrate this point, IsoAcoustics set up a test environment at the National Research Council (NRC) of Canada. Dr. Floyd Toole’s, Dr. Sean Olive’s, and Todd Welti’s work at the NRC has laid a strong foundation for what much of what we now hold as fundamental truths in acoustics and psychoacoustics of loudspeakers and headphones. Perhaps we should rename the NRC the Sacred Temple of the Audio World. Finished in an elegant machined dark chrome metal housing, it is the union of aesthetic visual design and acoustic engineering. Sean was very forthright about producing measurements to support the effectiveness of the technology. Using a laservibrometer, an instrument that measures vibrations on a surface and rapidly scans point-by-point over the test object’s surface to measure vibration levels at various points, Sean showed me how IsoAcoustics isolators reduced the resonant energy transferred from the speaker to the supporting floor surface. So I'm waxing lyrical right? Guy spends stupid money on speakers feet and placebo effect wins the day? I don't think so. I was not sat there straining to hear these differences, they are there immediately and with no doubt.

The first goal was practical: Would the IsoAcoustics GAIA isolators be my ultimate solution for heavy speakers on hardwood floors? If you use speakers—especially very heavy speakers—on hardwood you know exactly the problem I’m referring to. While the Revels do come with a blunt end on their spiked feet, I’ve been using them without spikes out of sheer practicality. Should someone bump into the Salons or push them it would certainly scratch the hardwood floor—it’s already happened. Yes, I’ve tried those brass hardwood floor cups for spikes and invariably at one time or another, a bump or move will lift the spike out of its resting spot and right onto the hardwood floor. The result is either a scratch or worse a puncture. Don’t waste your money.The first most noticeable difference for me when I finished installing the GAIA III was how much more “freer” the sound was from the speakers, the bass especially instantly stood out, far more insight and detailed. Bass extension was far better controlled and tighter with the upper regions being more defined and natural in presentation. My system is hardly lumpy or bloated, but a more explorative and musical nature came with seemingly more weight as the bass was almost able to breath more and felt so much less restrictive in how it interacted with me and my room. Even the nasty node I get in one corner by an alcove disappeared considerably. the Gaia-enhanced player allowed clarity and resonance to orchestral bells, and greater clarity to the recording as a whole. The IsoAcoustics Gaia 2 provide an isolation platform for speakers weighting less than 55KG. An upgrade which is easy to apply and can make a dramatic difference to a wide range of speakers. Thus, I discussed with Morrison the possibility of reviewing some of the footers by trying them out on two sets of speakers that were currently at my home. One set were on stands; the Alta Audio FRM-2 Celesta, while the other set were a new Alta Audio floor standing model; the Alec. We all know the value of isolation when it comes to getting the best from hi-fi electronics, but until you hear IsoAcoustics’ GAIAs in action, you’ll never know how much this applies to speakers, too.